Can self-distancing benefit adjustment to bereavement? A multi-method investigation

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Grief Studies

Background:

• Prolonged grief involves difficulty accepting loss and managing emotional distress.
• Self-distancing, viewing adverse events from an observer's perspective, may aid grief adaptation.
• Grief interventions aim to help individuals cope with loss and emotional distress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the role of self-distancing in grief adaptation.
• To investigate the effects of self-distancing on grief symptoms and rumination.
• To assess the efficacy of a brief self-distancing intervention for prolonged grief.

Main Methods:

• Study 1: Survey of 207 bereaved adults correlating self-distancing with grief symptoms and rumination.
• Study 2: One-session perspective manipulation to compare self-distancing and self-immersion effects on emotions.
• Study 3: Three-day expressive writing intervention comparing self-distancing and self-immersion in 31 participants with elevated grief.

Main Results:

• Self-distancing negatively correlated with grief symptoms and rumination (Study 1).
• Self-distancing decreased negative emotions; self-immersion decreased positive emotions during bereavement recall (Study 2).
• Both writing interventions reduced grief symptoms, but only self-distancing reduced grief rumination (Study 3).

Conclusions:

• Self-distancing plays a protective role in grief adaptation.
• Low-intensity interventions like self-distancing expressive writing can alleviate grief rumination and symptoms.
• Self-distancing is a promising, accessible strategy for managing prolonged grief.